


Unhealthy Fusion

by Gnarek_67



Series: Fic for Art Trade [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt, Gem Fusion, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:41:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28377144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gnarek_67/pseuds/Gnarek_67
Summary: This story is about Steven. Something happens in Steven's life that causes him to become dependent on fusing together with Garnet to become Sunstone. Now, the more Steven fuses together with Garnet, the worse he gets once apart, causing Sunstone to become more and more of an unhealthy fusion.This story was created as part of an art trade with @apllo-apollo on Tumblr.
Relationships: Amethyst & Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran & Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Garnet & Steven Universe, Greg Universe & Steven Universe, Pearl & Steven Universe
Series: Fic for Art Trade [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2078358
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	1. A Normal Day

On a grassy cliff where there was a lighthouse at the top and a picket fence all around the edge, Steven was hanging out with Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst. The four of them were laying down on the grass, watching the clouds pass by.

“Ahh, this feels great,” said Steven, relaxed.

“You said it, Steven,” agreed Amethyst.

“This is kind of peaceful,” said Pearl.

“Mm-hmm,” agreed Garnet.

Suddenly, there was some sort of digital sound coming from Steven’s pocket.

“Huh?” said Steven. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

The sound was coming from his alarm. Steven saw a notification that said ‘Sunstone’s Safety Class’. He then turned it off and put the phone back into his pocket.

Steven looked up at Garnet. “Sunstone has to teach safety at Little Homeschool in a few minutes,” he informs. 

“We better hurry before we’re late for class,” informed Garnet.

They both got up off of the grass.

Steven dusted himself off. He then looked at Pearl and Amethyst. 

“We’ll see you guys later after Sunstone's class,” said Steven.

“Okay. Bye, Steven,” said Pearl.

He and Garnet ran down the hill towards Steven’s car.

* * *

**Few Minutes Later**

They made it in time to the spot where a group of gems was waiting for them.

“Hello, everyone. We’re here,” greeted Steven. 

The gems greeted Steven back.

“Hello,” said Garnet.

He smiled. “Who’s ready for Sunstone’s Safety Class?” asked Steven.

The gems were excited to learn from Sunstone.

He was excited. “Let’s do it, Garnet,” said Steven.

She nodded. “Right, Steven,” said Garnet.

They danced together side-by-side. After a few seconds of dancing, Steven and Garnet joined their hands together. Then, both of their entire bodies turned into light and fused into one. Once the light cleared, Sunstone was in their place.

Sunstone gave a thumbs-up. “Hello, everyone. It’s your pal, Sunstone,” they said. “Are you all ready to learn about safety?”

The gems were excited as Sunstone's class began.

* * *

**1 Hour and a Few Minutes Later**

Sunstone waved at the gems as they were leaving. 

“Bye, everyone. Stay safe,” they said. 

Sunstone gave off a happy sigh. 

“Phew. Looks like my work is done,” they said.

Their entire body glowed white. Then, they separated back into Steven and Garnet.

“Another successful safety class, Steven,” she said.

He agreed with Garnet as the class was in fact a success. “It was all thanks to Sunstone. They really know how to teach safety to everyone,” said Steven.

With Sunstone's safety class over, their entire day was free.

“So, you want to hang out at the temple?” he asked.

“Sure,” said Garnet.

They both headed for Steven’s car. After getting in and putting on their seatbelts, Steven drove his car back home.


	2. Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a class taught by Sunstone, Steven goes on a picnic date with Connie. Then later, something bad happens.

At a classroom in Little Homeschool, Sunstone was teaching a group of gems some lessons about feelings. The gems paid close attention to their lessons.

Sunstone had a few more lessons to give the class before it ended. “Here are two of my favorite lessons: ‘You should love yourself’. Also, ‘Become independent instead of becoming dependent on others’,” they said. 

They checked the time on the clock. The class was about to end in a few seconds.

“Okay everyone, I’ll see you all next week. Class dismissed,” said Sunstone.

The group of gems left their seats and started walking out of the classroom. 

They gave the gems a thumbs-up. “Stay cool, everyone,” said Sunstone.

Some gems responded to what they said with their own response. Once every gem had left the room, Sunstone’s body glowed white. Then, they separated back into Steven and Garnet like they always do.

Garnet wanted to talk, but Steven was in a hurry to leave. “No time to talk, Garnet. I have to get home soon and prepare for my picnic date with Connie,” he said. “She leaves to visit some college in less than two hours.”

She understood. “Okay,” said Garnet. “Be safe. There’s going to be a strong rainstorm soon after your picnic ends.”

Steven smiled. “Thanks for the heads-up, Garnet. I'll see you all at home,” he said. Steven then ran out to his car.

* * *

**Few Minutes Later**

Steven was at his house in the kitchen, making lunch and packing it into the picnic basket. Inside the picnic basket was sliced fruit, macaroni salad, sandwiches, and donuts from the Big Donut. Everything was almost ready as Steven was packing the bottles of fruit juice. Then, there was the sound of the door to the house opening. He looked over his shoulder and saw that it was Amethyst walking in.

“What up, Steven?” she greeted. Amethyst approached him.

“Hey, Amethyst,” he said. “What are you doing here instead of being at Little Homeschool?”

“Came here to chill,” she explained. “You?”

“I’m getting ready for my date with Connie,” informed Steven.

Once Amethyst was next to him, she tapped Steven on his right shoulder, causing him to turn his head to the right. While he was distracted, Amethyst reached into the picnic basket and took out a sandwich. 

She took a bite out of the sandwich. “The beach?” guessed Amethyst.

Steven turned towards her. He wasn’t angry since he had a feeling Amethyst would steal a sandwich from him.

He shook his head, and then he placed the drinks right next to the picnic basket. “Nope, not this time. This time the date’s going to be on the hill by the lighthouse,” said Steven. “It’s the perfect place for our date. Well, other than the beach. Then after that, we’re going roller skating”

“Sounds like an awesome plan,” she said through a mouthful of sandwich.

Once Amethyst was finished with her sandwich, she decided to tease Steven a little. “Connie is one lucky girl to be dating you,” she said.

He smiled. “Yeah, she is,” said Steven.

“Well, I’m heading to my room. Good luck on your date, Steven,” she said. Amethyst walked away and headed for the temple door. 

Once she was near it, the purple dot on one of the star’s points on the door glowed. Then, the door opened up to her room. She walked inside and the door closed. As for Steven, he decided to change clothes before he left for his date, so he headed up to his room.

* * *

**Few Minutes Later**

Steven was walking up the hill towards the lighthouse with the picnic basket and blanket in his hands. He was wearing a blue and white-striped shirt, blue jean pants with the cuffs rolled up, and his flip-flop sandals. 

Steven was excited about his lunch date with Connie. He made it to the top of the hill and saw that there was someone else on the hill too. Steven smiled as he saw the person. It was Connie, who was wearing a sleeveless yellow shirt, beige-colored pants, and brown shoes. She was waiting for him.

“Hi, Connie,” greeted Steven.

“Hey, Steven,” greeted Connie.

He smiled. “Ready for our picnic date?” he asked.

“Yeah, totally,” she said, giggling.

Connie took the picnic basket from Steven in order to free up his hands. Steven unfolded, shook out, and set the blanket down. He and Connie both sat down on the blanket, sitting across from each other with the basket in the middle. She opened the basket and set everything out one-by-one. 

“Everything looks really good,” she complimented.

He blushed and rubbed the back of his head. “Thanks,” said Steven. 

Connie started putting some food on a paper plate. “The macaroni salad looks especially good too. Can’t wait to try it,” she complimented again.

Steven was putting some food on his plate too. “It is. Last night, I followed an online recipe and it came out great,” he informed. 

Connie took a bite out of the macaroni salad that was on her plate. She loved the taste. “Mmm, delicious!” she exclaimed.

Steven smiled. The whole picnic was spent with the two of them talking and eating.

* * *

**1 Hour and a Few Minutes Later**

Steven had folded up the blanket neatly and was now packing up the finished food and the trash into a plastic bag to be thrown away later. The reason their date only lasted that long was that Connie had to leave Beach City to go visit some college today. Not only that, but it was going to rain soon, and from the look of the dark gray clouds, in a few minutes.

Steven looked down the hill and saw a car at the bottom other than his. “Hey, Connie,” he called out.

“Yeah?” said Connie.

“When are you going to show me your car?” he asked. “You've had it for days but you’ve never shown me it.”

She was confused. “Yes, I have,” replied Connie.

“Through a photo, but not face-to-face,” informed Steven.

She made a surprised face as she realized something. She only showed Steven a photo of her car, but she’s never shown it to him face-to-face.

Connie blushed. “I was so busy with applying for college that I forgot,” she said, chuckling. “Follow me, Steven.” 

Connie walked down the hill while Steven followed after her, carrying everything.

* * *

**One Walk Later**

They had made it to the bottom of the hill, but were only a few feet away from Steven’s car. 

“Here it is,” said Connie.

Steven was impressed once he saw Connie’s car up closely. It was a blue compact car and it was a bit bigger than his car.

He walked around, admiring the car. “Wow. It looks sweet,” complimented Steven.

Connie smiled at the compliment. “Thanks. I bought it after taking a few part-time jobs in Beach City,” she explained.

He nodded silently in appreciation. Steven then had an idea. “Maybe we could take a drive together on our next date?” he suggested. “Usually I drive you in my car. So, how about we change things up this time?”

She smiled. “Great idea, Steven,” said Connie. She had gotten out her phone to check the time. “Uh-oh. I better hurry if I want to go check out the college.”

Connie put her phone back in her pocket. “Bye, Steven,” she said. 

“See you later, Connie,” said Steven.

Connie got into her car and started up the engine. A few seconds later, she drove off. Steven waved at her as she was leaving. 

He sighed happily. Then, he felt a few drops of water land on his face. “Huh?” said Steven, confused.

Suddenly, the amount of water drops increased. Steven realized that it was beginning to rain. He ran to his car while getting rained on as the amount of rain was increasing. 

Steven was able to get him and the stuff inside the car. He was a little wet from the rain. “Man, it’s raining cats and dogs,” observed Steven. “I better get back home before the rain gets worse.”

He started up his car and drove off, heading for home.

* * *

**Many Minutes Later**

Connie was driving down the road as she was heading in the direction of the college. The rain amount had increased, so now it’s heavily pouring. Even with the windshield wipers on, it was still a little hard to see through the rain. 

“It’s getting a little hard to see through all of this rain,” she complained.

Connie looked down and checked the map app on her cellphone. From the looks of it, she was only a few minutes away from the college. 

“Hope I get into this college,” she said. “It may be far, but it’s not too far from Beach City.”

The road was clear and there was no car in sight. Then, two shadowy figures suddenly appeared on the road in front of her. Connie was surprised, and then she turned the steering wheel to the left hard to avoid hitting them. Then...

CRASH!

Over where the crash noise happened, it seems that Connie’s car had crashed off of the road. Her car was a total wreck as the car itself was dented and the windows were shattered. As for Connie herself, she wasn’t moving a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those two lessons were thought up by @apllo-apollo on Tumblr.
> 
> Even though Steven parked a few feet away from Connie's car, he never noticed it since he was so focused on his date with her.
> 
> If you're wondering who those two mysterious figures are that appeared on the road, I'll reveal who they are in the future. For now, they stay mysterious.
> 
> Will Connie live or die? Find out in the next chapter.


	3. Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is when Steven receives some bad news.

It was a clear and sunny day now that the rainstorm was over. Everything seemed nice and peaceful. Steven and Amethyst were hanging out together and playing some kind of a fighting video game. Steven’s fighter was low on health while Amethyst’s had medium-level health. They were both so focused on the game that they were blocking out the outside world. 

“Ha ha, I’m winning!” declared Amethyst, grinning.

“Not yet, you’re not!” argued Steven. “Take this!”

He had his character do a combo move, which ended up depleting a lot of Amethyst’s fighter’s health, bringing it down to low just like Steven’s but a little less.

“Ha,” he said, proud.

She grinned. “I wouldn’t be laughing if I were you. Taste my combo move!” declared Amethyst.

She unleashed her fighter’s combo move, which caught Steven off-guard and unable to dodge in time. His fighter got hit, causing him to lose the rest of his health.

“GAME OVER!” said the game.

Amethyst jumped and posed in victory. “Ha! I win!” she shouted.

“Dang it,” groaned Steven. “Best 3 out of 5?”

Amethyst grinned. “You’re on,” she said.

They both chose different fighters this time. Then, the new round began. They were mashing their controller’s buttons as they had their fighters attack one another.

Amethyst had a devious idea. She glanced back a little to see that Steven’s phone was plugged into the wall and charging. “Hey, Steven,” she said. “Shouldn’t you turn on your phone? It must be charged up by now and you probably missed some calls from Connie.”

Too bad Steven wasn’t going to fall for it. “Nice try, Amethyst. I’ll turn it on after we finish this game,” he said. “But if Connie did call, she'd understand that my battery was dead and I couldn’t call back.”

Amethyst’s character was now low on health. “But she’s probably calling about news of whether she got into the college or not,” she said, grinning. 

It was starting to work, but he still wasn’t going to fall for it. “Hey, Amethyst? Guess what?” asked Steven.

“What?” responded Amethyst.

Steven’s fighter KO’d her’s, allowing him to win the game. “I win,” he said, grinning.

They were now tied with one win.

“Aah!” shouted Amethyst, frustrated. She then looked up at him, determined. “How about a tie-breaker? Loser has to buy Lunch of the winner’s choosing?”

“Okay,” he said.

They had one more round. What they didn’t know was that Amethyst was right. He has been getting calls, but not from Connie.

* * *

**Many Minutes Later**

In the end, Amethyst won, which meant that Steven ended up having to pay for lunch. So, the two of them left the house and were now at Fish Stew Pizza, eating. Well, Steven was done eating, Amethyst was gorging herself on pizzas since Steven was in fact paying for it all.

He was watching Amethyst. “Amethyst, if you keep eating that much, I’m going to go broke once I pay the bill,” warned Steven, worried.

She scarfed down another slice. “Don’t worry, Steven. This is my last pizza,” said Amethyst, reassuring. “You can pay the bill now.”

He gave off a relieved sigh. “Oh, thank goodness,” said Steven. He got up from the table and went over to the counter where Kiki was so he could pay for the bill.

After paying the bill, him and Amethyst left the pizza restaurant and headed back for the house. Steven decided to turn on his phone since it’s been off for a long time. Also, Connie might’ve called with news about how’d it went over at the college. But before he could turn on his phone…

“Steven!” a familiar voice called out to him. It sounded male.

Steven turned towards the source of the voice and saw that it belonged to his father, Greg. He was running over towards Steven and Amethyst with a worried look on his face.

“Dad, you okay?” he asked, concerned.

Greg stopped in front of them. He then hunched over with his hands on his knees and started panting as he was tired and sweaty from all of the running he did. “I’ve been calling you and calling you but you didn’t pick up!” exclaimed Greg.

A pit of dread started forming in his stomach. “My battery died so I charged it at the house, but then I left it off until now,” explained Steven. “Did something happen?”

Once he stopped panting, Greg looked up at Steven with a sad look on his face. “Steven, Connie got into a bad car crash. She was taken to the Hospital,” he informed in a solemn tone. 

The moment they heard the news, both Steven and Amethyst had shocked looks on their faces.

* * *

**Few Minutes Later**

The three of them had gotten into Steven’s car and drove off to the Hospital. Once they were there, Steven ran over to the front desk where there was a transmale receptionist.

“Excuse me, I need to see Connie Maheswaran. I’m her boyfriend, Steven,” he informed.

The moment the receptionist heard the name, he had a solemn look on his face. “I am so sorry, but Connie is dead,” he said.

The three of them were shocked.

“W-What do you mean she’s dead? She can’t be,” said Steven while in denial.

“From the report, it seems that after her car crashed, she bled out a lot. By the time the Ambulance arrived, it was too late to save her,” explained the receptionist with a sad tone. 

“No, it can’t be. It just can’t,” he said.

Steven didn’t notice Garnet and Pearl approaching him. Apparently, the two of them had gotten the news from Greg and had gone to the hospital themselves before the others did.

Garnet stared at Steven for a few seconds before saying something. “Steven, don’t. It wouldn’t work even if you tried,” she informed.

Steven turned to look at her. It seems Garnet used her Future Vision and saw that he was going to use his healing powers to try and revive Connie just like what happened with Lars.

Steven fell to the floor on his knees. “So...she’s gone?” he whispered. Tears began to form in his eyes.

Everyone comforted Steven as he began to cry his heart out.

* * *

**Few Days Later**

It was a sad day as it was the day of Connie’s funeral. Steven and the Crystal Gems had just arrived at the church in their own ways: Steven riding on top of Lion while the Crystal Gems, Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth were riding in his car. They all headed at the steps of the church, even Lion. 

Before they could go up the steps, Steven held a hand in front of Lion’s face. He had a sad look on his face. “Sorry Lion, but you have to stay outside,” informed Steven. His voice had a sad tone to it. “I understand that you want to be inside for the funeral, but you can’t...Please.”

Lion stared at Steven’s hand for a few seconds. After a while, he turned, walked over to the grass, and laid down on it.

Steven looked at Lion. “Thank you, Lion,” he said.

Him and the Crystal Gems then walked up the steps. 

A person walked up next to Steven on his left. “Steven, you okay?” a familiar male voice called out.

Steven turned and saw that the voice belonged to his father. He was silent for a few seconds. “...Yeah, I’m fine, dad,” said Steven, lying. He continued to walk up the steps of the church.

They all looked at him with concerned looks, and then followed after him. The inside of the church was packed with gems, Steven’s friends, and Connie’s friends and family. Everyone had sad looks on their faces while some were crying. The group kept walking until they made it to the front row, which was empty, and sat down. 

Steven looked straight ahead. He was looking at Connie’s casket, which was closed because Connie’s parents had decided on a closed-casket funeral. “ _I can’t believe she’s gone. I thought we would be together forever_ ,” he thought.

The pastor of the church, Mike, had walked up to the podium. “We are here to mourn the loss of an innocent soul, Connie Maheswaran, whose life was taken away in a car crash,” he said. “Would anyone like to say some words to honor her?”

First was Connie’s parents. After them it was Connie’s friends, her other family members, the Crystal Gems, Lapis, Peridot, Bismuth, other gems, and finally, Greg. Once he was done, it was now Steven’s turn. 

He had mentally steeled himself up for this while everyone had their turn. He walked up to the podium and looked straight ahead at everyone. “I remember when I first met Connie. It was back when I was 14 and I was at the beach,” he informed. “When I first saw her from far away, it was love at first sight. Since the day that I returned her glow stick wristband, we’ve been friends ever since, and now she’s gone.” Tears had started to form in his eyes. “I’ll always remember the good times and bad times we had gone through together. Goodbye, Connie.” 

He walked away from the podium and back to his seat. Greg, who was sitting next to Steven, gave him a side hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With Connie's death, Steven will start to change.


	4. Sunstone's Reappearance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven is depressed that Connie is gone. Then, Sunstone makes their reappearance after more than a week. After that, Steven's dependency began.

It was a normal day for everyone in Beach City. It has been a few days since Connie’s funeral. The Crystal Gems were in the living room of the house, talking. The only one who wasn’t there was Steven.

Pearl had a worried look on her face. “I’m worried about Steven, Garnet,” she said with a worried tone. “He hasn’t come out of his room in days ever since the funeral.”

Like Pearl said, Steven hasn’t come out of his room ever since Connie died. He only comes out when he has to eat, drink, or use the bathroom. He doesn’t even answer any phone calls. They’ve been trying to get him out of his room to hang out with them but nothing worked.

“What are we going to do?” asked Pearl.

“He needs time and space to grieve, Pearl,” advised Garnet.

“But-” she said before being interrupted.

“All of us felt the same way when Rose gave up her life for Steven,” she informed. “Remember?”

Pearl did in fact remember how they all felt when Rose was gone. “Fine,” she said.

* * *

**Meanwhile-Steven's Room**

Steven was laying in his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room with a tired look. There was sad music playing in the background from his phone. 

He looked at a photo of him and Connie. “ _Connie, why did you have to go and leave?_ ” thought Steven, sadly. His stomach then growled with hunger. “ _I need to get some food in me._ ”

Steven got up from his bed and headed for the door to his room. Meanwhile, the Crystal Gems were talking, but then they heard Steven’s door opening. They looked up to see him leaving his room and walking down the steps. Steven passed by them and headed for the kitchen part of the house.

Amethyst decides to approach him. “Hey Steven, feeling better?” she asked, concerned. He only mumbled ‘no’ before passing her by and going to the refrigerator. Amethyst was concerned and worried about him.

Steven opened the door and looked through it before getting some jelly. He then went to the cabinets and got some bread and peanut butter. After getting a knife and plate, he smeared the jelly and smooth, creamy peanut butter on some bread slices and put them together to make PB & J Sandwiches.

Garnet was silent until she had an idea, but it was a long shot. She approached him. “Steven, I need your help to become Sunstone. Their class is tomorrow afternoon,” said Garnet. “The gems need Sunstone to teach them life lessons and safety tips. They not only need Sunstone, but they need us too, Steven.”

Steven was going to say ‘no’, which she knew he was going to say, so Garnet interrupted him.

“If you do this, I’ll let you go back to your room and won’t ask you to do it again until you feel better,” offered Garnet.

Steven thought about it for a moment. On the one hand, he could stay in his room, but on the other hand, those gems needed Sunstone’s help to learn about safety and lessons about life. In the end, Steven made his decision. “Fine. I’ll be there tomorrow,” he muttered.

Steven then grabbed his plate full of sandwiches and headed back up to his room. The Crystal Gems watched him walk back into his room and shut the door. 

“Garnet, is that your way of trying to cheer Steven up?” asked Pearl.

“Maybe helping gems as Sunstone would help?” theorized Amethyst.

Garnet decided to inform them why she asked Steven to come to the class tomorrow. “In some of the futures I’ve seen, yes, it does cheer him up. But in the others, they don’t,” she informed. “Let’s hope Steven cheers up tomorrow.”

Pearl and Amethyst hoped so too.

* * *

**The Next Day-Afternoon**

At Sunstone’s class, everyone was waiting for Steven since he promised to be there.

Pearl was worried. She looked at Garnet. “Do you think he’ll show up?” asked Pearl.

“He will,” said Garnet. She knows because in all of the futures she’s seen, he’s on his way to Little Homeschool. 

After waiting a few more seconds, the door opened up and Steven walked inside the classroom.

“Hi, everyone. Sorry that I’m late,” he said, apologizing. His tone was sad.

The gems who were attending the class looked at Steven with concerned faces. He approached Garnet, wanting to get this over with and get back home and grieve.

“Ready?” asked Steven.

“Ready,” she confirmed.

The two of them danced, and then they fused together into Sunstone, who was happy and unaffected by Steven's negativity.

“Hey, everyone. It’s your pal, Sunstone,” they said. “Are you all ready to learn?”

The gems gave their own responses. Everyone watched as Sunstone started talking about life lessons and safety tips.

* * *

**Few Hours Later**

Sunstone waved at the gems as they left, smiling.

“See you all next time, everyone,” they said. Then, Sunstone unfused back into Steven and Garnet.

The Crystal Gems looked at Steven as they were wondering if he was okay since he was looking down at the floor, silent.

“You feeling better, Steven?” asked Pearl, concerned.

He was silent for a moment, but then he spoke. “Yeah, I’m okay,” said Steven. Then, he started smiling.

They were shocked yet happy to see him smiling.

“Steven, you’re smiling. You haven’t smiled in more than a week,” said Pearl.

He knows that Pearl was right. He hasn’t smiled in a long time. “I guess I haven’t since Connie died, but it did feel nice to be Sunstone again,” said Steven.

“Well, Sunstone has another class in two days. Maybe you could do it again?” asked Amethyst.

He shrugged. “We’ll see,” said Steven. “For now, I’m heading home. See you all later.” 

He walked away and left the classroom. The Crystal Gems were happy to see Steven feel a little better. What they didn't know was that Steven fusing with Garnet into Sunstone had changed things for the worse.

* * *

**Less than a Minute Later**

Steven was driving his car back home. He thought about what happened during class. 

“ _Being Sunstone made me feel all warm and happy inside. The same feeling I felt back when Connie was alive_ ,” he thought. “ _Being Sunstone was better than being me. They’re all happy and positive, while I’m all sad and depressed_.”

That’s when Steven decided something and gave off a wide smile. “I should start being Sunstone way more than I should be myself. And I know how,” he said.


	5. Dependency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven becomes dependent on fusing with Garnet into Sunstone.

It’s been a few weeks since that day he went back to Sunstone’s class. Steven was currently at Sunstone’s class again, which was currently happening in the woods today. He’s been coming to every one of Sunstone’s classes and fusing with Garnet into them for weeks. 

He was smiling and waving at the gems as they left since the class was over. Steven then turned around to face Garnet. “Another successful day in Sunstone’s class, Garnet. We did a pretty awesome job,” he said. 

She smiled as she enjoyed watching Steven smile every now and then since he stopped being depressed about Connie’s death. Garnet gave him a thumbs-up. “We sure did, Steven,” she said.

As for Steven, he has been enjoying becoming Sunstone every time he and Garnet would fuse into them. Once they’ve fused into Sunstone, Steven would feel all happy and calm, but once they unfused, he would have to wait days until Sunstone’s next class. That would make him feel like there’s a void inside of him, then he would become impatient and worried, both of which he hides very well from everyone.

“You want to go to the Arcade and hang out?” asked Steven. The reason was that he wanted to hang out with her.

Garnet thought about it. “Hmm...I have some time to play games with you, Steven,” she said, smiling.

Steven smiled too. “Thank you, Garnet,” he said.

“No problem, Steven,” said Garnet.

The both of them got into Steven’s car and headed off for the Beach City Boardwalk.

* * *

**Few Days Later**

Steven was at the next location of Sunstone’s class, which was Beach City Funland, as he was waiting for Garnet to arrive. His back was turned to everyone, preventing them from seeing the worried look on his face. Steven was feeling impatient as he wanted to become Sunstone again. 

“Come on, Garnet, where are you?” he muttered to himself.

Just as soon as he said that, Garnet then showed up. “Sorry I’m late, everyone,” she apologized. “Ruby and Sapphire needed to have a chat with each other before I arrived.”

Steven was feeling impatient but decided to hide it or else Garnet might either get suspicious or concerned about him. “Cool. So, let’s fuse and have Sunstone teach everyone about safety,” he said.

She nodded. “Mhm,” said Garnet.

The two of them danced and fused together into Sunstone.

“Who’s ready to learn about safety at the boardwalk, my friends?” they asked.

During that whole day, they all had fun at the boardwalk while Sunstone was giving out safety tips.

* * *

**Few Weeks Later**

Over time, Steven had become more and more dependent on the fusion, Sunstone. While he was around his friends and family, Steven would pretend that he was happy and positive, but once he was by himself, Steven would become depressed, impatient, and negative.

Then, came the bad news. The bad news involved Sunstone.

“Tomorrow is Sunstone’s final class before graduation happens next week for the gems,” informed Pearl.

Steven was shocked and worried, which he hid pretty well. The reason was that after Sunstone’s final class tomorrow, he won’t be able to fuse into them with Garnet again unless either there’s an emergency that requires Sunstone, or he has to wait until the next school year for Sunstone to teach the class again. 

“ _I can’t wait that long after tomorrow’s class. I need to think of a way to convince Garnet to fuse with me into Sunstone again_ ,” thought Steven. He tried to think up an excuse, but none was coming to mind right now.

“We’ll all be speaking at the Graduation Ceremony to say goodbye to all of our students,” she continued. “Me, you, Amethyst, Garnet, Peridot, Lapis, and Bismuth.”

Hearing that then gave him an idea. “Why don’t we have Sunstone speak at the Graduation Ceremony too?” suggested Steven.

The Crystal Gems looked at him. Now he had their attention. 

“What are you talking about, Steven?” asked Amethyst, confused.

Steven decided to give them a fake sad look to make his excuse look more believable. “Well, Sunstone is a teacher at Little Homeschool too,” he said. “I don’t think it would feel right if they didn’t get a chance to give a speech on stage. After all, Garnet and I are going to be speaking on stage too, you know.”

His excuse worked and fooled the three of them. Pearl thought about what Steven said. Then, she looked at Garnet and Amethyst. “He is right, you two. Sunstone is a teacher just like us, so they deserve a chance to speak at the graduation ceremony too,” she said, agreeing.

“Yeah, Steven’s right,” said Amethyst, agreeing too. She then looked at Garnet. “What do you think, Garnet? Should Sunstone make another appearance at the Graduation Ceremony?”

Garnet thought about it. Steven was worried she might say no. So, he gave her a convincing smile. “Come on, Garnet. Sunstone needs to say goodbye to their students at the Graduation Ceremony,” he begged. “You don’t want to take that away from them, do you?”

She still thought about it. After a while, Garnet made her decision. “Fine,” she said. Garnet then smiled. “For you.”

Steven gave off a wide smile and gave her a hug. “Thanks, Garnet,” he said.

If only the three of them knew that they were fooled by Steven, but they didn’t, and they never will.


End file.
